An inmate has been found dead with stab wounds at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, officials said.
The Mississippi Department of Corrections is investigating the apparent killing of Bobby Deangelo Hawthorne, 34, who was found in Unit 30 on Sunday afternoon, officials said in a news release.
Hawthorne was serving an 18-year sentence for four convictions for drug trafficking and armed robbery in Harrison County. Sunflower County Coroner Heather Burton ruled Hawthorne’s death a homicide shortly after he was pronounced dead at the prison.
Hawthorne is one of more than 80 inmates to die in Mississippi’s prison system since late December.
Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain said staff is making “every effort to reduce violence in (Mississippi’s) prisons.” Officials are installing new video surveillance systems inside the units to monitor inmates, he said.
The Sunflower County Sheriff’s Office, Corrections Investigative Division, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and County Coroner are investigating the events that lead to Hawthorne’s death.
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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.
